House, Senate Pass Budgets

Lawmakers Prepare Campaign Issues

RICHMOND — The House and Senate overwhelmingly approved their own versions of the state budget Thursday, but not before using line items to launch partisan election-year assaults.

From charter schools to welfare reform to money for state troopers, legislators forced floor votes on a variety of budget proposals that they hope will score points with voters back home in November, when the entire House of Delegates will be up for grabs.

In the end, the House and Senate made no changes to the spending plans offered by their respective money committees this week. Those plans would revamp some initiatives of Gov. George Allen and pump an additional $60 million into education, law enforcement and employee salaries, among other things.

But the floor fights over budget details Thursday seemed as much about political positioning as dollars and cents.

Del. Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, tried to tack onto the budget what he failed to get with legislation earlier this session: his perennial proposal to introduce charter schools into Virginia. His amendment failed, on a 57-42 vote, dividing the Democratic-controlled House largely along party lines.

But Republicans were quick to seize on the issue as a political sword against Democrats. After complaining for months about Gov. George Allen's refusal to accept federal Goals 2000 education money, Democrats found themselves on the opposite side Thursday, saying federal charter schools money is not needed.

The irony was not lost on Allen, who expressed dismay to reporters at the opposition to charter schools waged by Democrats.

"I can't imagine that these same folks are willing to turn down the opportunity for millions of new dollars for our school children," Allen said.

Democrats said Virginia can't accept the federal money until legislation is passed to authorize charter schools. And many opposed charter schools outright, saying it would lead to a resegregated school system.

"Any system that takes us back to those days is a bad system, and we should not be a part of it," said House Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County.

If Thursday's budget vote proves to be a bridge to re-election for anyone, it may be Del. Shirley F. Cooper, D-York, who won passage of a measure that would cut Coleman Bridge tolls in half for cars with trailers and trucks.

After watching a unanimous vote prevail over a modest challenge to her measure, a gleeful Cooper sought to mark the occasion by providing reporters with a printout of the roll call. She then gave a hug to Del. Harvey B. Morgan, R-Gloucester, who defended the amendment.

Despite her victory in the House, however, Cooper's toll proposal has not yet been included in the Senate's budget plan.

Aside from charter schools, House Republicans also saw potential campaign ammunition on at least four other fronts:

* GOP delegates objected to budget language they said would weaken Virginia's new welfare-to-work program, which will begin in most of Hampton Roads in October. The measure, approved by a 52-46 vote, would allow welfare recipients to avoid work requirements for up to a year if they are enrolled in school. But that provision is not included in the Senate's budget.

* Democrats were attacked for using $5.4 million intended for highways that would be diverted to fund an additional 105 state troopers. Republicans claimed the move amounted to raiding a transportation trust fund. They also said the plan was hypocritical because Democrats proposed cutting the state police budget in 1995.

* Republicans complained about a Democratic proposal to scrap Allen's funding of liability insurance for school teachers. Democrats say the $600,000 initiative is unnecessary because most teachers have insurance through their local school boards or the Virginia Education Association.

Allen says the state should insure teachers directly to shield them from frivolous lawsuits in school discipline cases.

The House voted to kill the funding on a 57-42 vote along mostly partisan lines. The insurance plan was retained in the Senate budget, however.

* Republicans objected to a provision allowing the state lottery to devise a new game whose proceeds would be used to finance a major-league baseball stadium. Many said the plan undermined a Democrat-sponsored measure two years ago that earmarked all lottery money for education. Democrats said the new game would be only a pilot project and that no current lottery revenues would be diverted. The lottery project was approved on a 52-46 vote. The Senate budget does not include the project, however.

Differences between the two versions will be resolved by an eight-member conference committee.

In the Senate, where the budget passed by a margin of 39-1, Republicans raised objections to an initiative by Democratic Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer Jr. that would create a new scholarship program for high-achieving students at Virginia community colleges.

GOP critics dubbed the effort a feel-good measure that could prove unfair to needy students.

They also noted there is no funding proposed for the program, which would not begin for another 17 months.

But after Democrats hailed the initiative as a useful tool to strengthen academic achievement, the measure sailed through on a voice vote.

Unlike the House, the Senate appeared virtually unanimous in approving all amendments offered by its Finance Committee.

But there also was no need for senators to score political points. They do not face re-election until 1999.